Isn’t it funny how some things keep coming back to you throughout your life? I have a good friend who says that life keeps presenting lessons to us until we learn from them as much as sometimes I wish I wouldn’t remember her words, they are true. Times when you do that silly thing you know you shouldn’t do and here you are again in the same predicament are not the times you want to remember you haven’t learned the right thing yet, don’t you think? There are positive things that come back to me too, though…

One of the positive things is a simple version of how to look at life, much like the idea of whether you see the glass half-empty or half-full. I have always been a fan of Winnie the Pooh and his simple wisdom (some have likened it to Eastern Tao-ism, even!). As a result, I prefer to look at not just a glass but rather a pot of honey or something else more interesting and practical, like Pooh would do. Conversely, I have often thought that those who seemed to feel a storm cloud followed them were a bit like Pooh’s friend Eeyore the donkey. Poor Eeyore, as he was often known, always seemed to be expecting impending doom, and of course, he was rarely disappointed. He lost his tail, he got broken birthday presents… this guy really had bad luck.

What point am I getting at, you ask? Why all the childhood reminiscing over storybook characters?? Well, I heard about the fellow who wrote “The Last Lecture” and he used the Pooh reference in defining how you should decide to live your life. This is a professor who has terminal cancer and decided to write a book giving his best advice, not on formal education but on how to learn to enjoy life. He said you should decide whether you want to be a Tigger or an Eeyore. (Tigger was even more bouncy and positive than Pooh – more of a North American motivator than Eastern, like a Richard Simmons to Pooh’s Buddha.) And in a more everyday sort of vein, with all the rain we have had and everyone’s gloomy outlook with the gloomy forecast, it made me think of Eeyore and how he did get cheered up. I would like to leave you with my synopsis of why the world worked for the characters in A.E. Milne’s stories…

Theirs was a simple life – Pooh enjoyed a bit of sustenance in a pot of honey, Piglet enjoyed his “haycorns”, Rabbit enjoyed his garden, Owl enjoyed his books, Tigger enjoyed bouncing, Kanga enjoyed taking care of little Roo and all of them enjoyed each other’s company. Even Eeyore was happiest when his friends remembered his birthday, despite his burst balloon of a perfect size and colour, he got a big thrill of putting it in and taking it out of the empty honey pot Pooh gave him. After all, if you have friends to share your time with, then even the storm clouds can seem not so bad.

So, here’s to a week filled with your own sunshine, even if it rains outside! Share a pot of honey, take time to bounce with your friends and remember to learn the lesson life puts in front of you. (This means if you enjoy it you need to do more of it!)

He says:

I have to agree, humans tend to not do enough of the fun stuff and way too much of the work stuff.

In my case, weather permitting, I plan on barbecuing as much as I can this summer. Because I don’t have a gas barbecue grill I don’t really grill in the winter. I know it sounds like an excuse, but when it’s snowing and minus 10, starting a fire to cook a piece of beef is less attractive than at 30C.

If you are into barbecue yourself, check out my barbecue link in the margin - I upload new recipes once a week. If you have some good recipes that you want to share with others, please send them to me and I will upload them. If you are a fan, don’t forget on June 14th and 15th where the dolphin sculpture is downtown, a huge BBQ competition is happening. Check out this link

Kristin Peturson-Laprise is a customer experience specialist by trade, which means she is someone passionate about people having a good time.

Her company, Wow Service Mentor, helps businesses enhance their customer experience through hands-on training, service programs, and special event coordination.

Kristin enjoys her own experiences too, and that is what she writes about in this column. She and her husband Martin Laprise (also known as Chef Martin, of The Chef Instead) love to share their passion for food and entertaining.

Kristin says:

"Wikipedia lists a gourmand as a person who takes great pleasure in food. I have taken the concept of gourmandise, or enjoying something to the fullest, in all parts of my life. I love to grow and cook food, and I loved wine enough to become a Sommelier. I call a meal a success when I can convey that 'sense of place' from where the food has come . . . the French call that terroir, but I just call it the full experience. It might mean tasting the flavours of my own garden, or transporting everyone at the table to a faraway place, reminiscent of travels or dreams we have had."